Baseball: Arkansas Loses SEC Opener At Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Arkansas Razorbacks continued their recent slide Friday, dropping the Southeastern Conference season opener 2-1 to Florida at McKethan Stadium.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Arkansas Razorbacks continued their recent slide Friday, dropping the Southeastern Conference season opener 2-1 to Florida at McKethan Stadium.

Arkansas (8-6, 0-1) will continue its series against the Gators at 6 p.m. today while trying to stop a skid that has produced six losses in seven games for the Razorbacks after starting the season 7-0. The six losses have come by a combined seven runs.

Junior team captain Jalen Beeks (3-2) was saddled with Friday’s loss after allowing two runs on six hits and striking out three in 4 2/3 innings of work. Freshman Zach Jackson entered the game with two outs in the fifth inning and stranded runners on second and third with a strikeout.

The Berryhill, Okla., native struck out three over 2 1/3 innings of work and has not allowed an earned run in his first 14 2/3 innings as a Razorback.

Sophomore Bobby Wernes and senior team captain Jake Wise led Arkansas at the plate with two hits each. Freshman Clark Eagan registered his first collegiate RBI with a two-out single to drive in junior Eric Fisher from second after Fisher reached on a one-out walk in the top of the second inning and advanced into scoring position with a stolen base.

The Razorbacks and Gators (12-6, 1-0) have two more games scheduled for the series.Today’s game is expected to feature right-handed pitcher Killian on the mound for the start and Sunday’s noon game has righty Chris Oliver scheduled to start. Both games can be seen on Fox Sports Florida.

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said Beeks wasn’t the same pitcher he had watched perform earlier this season when facing a Gators lineup that ranked dead last in the conference in hitting entering Friday’s game.

"(Jalen) Beeks didn’t have his best stuff tonight," Van Horn said. "He threw a lot better his first four outings for sure. We noticed early that he wasn’t locating like normal but he battled and gave us a chance to win the game. He did a great job of battling through innings without his best stuff.

"(Zach) Jackson came in and did a tremendous job striking out a really good hitter to get out of a jam. He worked his way into another jam and then got out of it. He’s young and has a great arm. This was a great learning experience. I’m proud of him. I thought the pitching staff did a great job."

But at some point, Van Horn said Arkansas must find a way to win and wants to avoid dropping the first conference series of the season.

"It’s huge," he said of today’s game. "When you lose Friday, you don’t have a chance to win the series unless you win Saturday. We need to go out and find a way to win tomorrow."

One bright spot for the Razorbacks has been their bullpen. Arkansas’ relievers haven’t allowed an earned run in 34 consecutive innings, a streak that stretches back to the eighth inning vs. Eastern Illinois on Feb. 22. Jackson and junior Michael Gunn pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings Friday to extend the streak.